Machine supporting slab

ABSTRACT

A machine supporting slab formed of a rigid body of closed-cell foam resin material of high density covered by a metal sheath spanning the top and extending around the marginal edges of said body. Machine retaining means are anchored to said sheath.

I United States Patent 1 1 1111 3,713,620

lkach 1 1 Jan. 30, 1973 54 MACHINE SUPPORTING SLAB 3,105,697 10/1963 Weaver et al ..248/22 x 3 273 84l 9/l966 Cola ..248/l56 X [76] Inventor: George Tkach, l53l4 Harrison Rd.,

P O. Box Mishawaka, Ind- 3,493,20l 2/l970 Marran ..248/l9 46544 FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS [221 Filed: 1969 1,026,289 4 1953 France ..248/20 [21] Appl. No.: 867,262

- Primary Examiner-J. Franklin Foss 52 us. Cl. ..248/19, 52 295, 248/346 [51] Int. Cl ..Fl6m 5/00 581 Field of Search ..248/19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 346, [571 ABSTRACT 243/350; 52/295, 714 A machine supporting slab formed of a rigid body of closed-cell foam resin material of high density covered [56] References C'ted by a metal sheath spanning the top and extending UNITED STATES PATENTS around the marginal edges of said body. Machine retaining means are anchored to said sheath. 3,389,520 6/1968 Gray et al. ..52/623 X 1,005,963 10/1911 Groat et a1 ..248/19 X 1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures MACHINE SUPPORTING SLAB BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is frequently necessary to provide a slab for the mounting of machinery such as air conditioners, motors, compressors or the like, or a platform or base for supporting other articles, especially in an outdoor location. Heretofore it has been common practice to provide a concrete slab for such service. Concrete slabs for this usage may be of the preformed type or of the poured type.

Slabs of the preformed type are very heavy and require the services of a number of men to transport, handle and place them, in addition to the use of expensive machinery designed for such service. The slab must be placed upon a carefully leveled ground surface. Also it must be formed for the particular service to which it is to be put. For example, it must provide anchor bolts or other anchoring or securing means located at precisely determined positions as required by the supporting parts or feet of the machine to be mounted thereon.

The use of slabs which are poured at the point of use is time consuming, requires the preparation of a form or cavity into which concrete is poured, requires the accurate positioning of bolts or other machine anchoring means spaced according to the requirements of the machine to be mounted thereon, and requires delay in use until the concrete of the slab has set.

The use of a poured concrete slab or the use of a preformed concrete slab for supporting a machine, therefore, entails substantial labor, expense, equipment and time. It is the primary object of this invention to provide a slab which will obviate these disadvantages and which is economical, of light weight, easily and quickly installed and which has a long and satisfactory life for its intended purpose.

The present invention provides a machine and/or article supporting slab which is formed of rigid high-density syntheticresin foam material covered by a metal sheet which is anchored thereto and which protects the top surface and the side edges and the margin of the bottom of the foam body. The metal covered foam member may be anchored to the ground in the desired location by stakes or prongs carried thereby, which can be driven into the earth. However, the use of stakes is optional, and they can be eliminated, as in cases where the present slab is used as an insulation member and is positioned upon a concrete or other slab or foundation. Means for supporting and positioning a machine may be formed of metal and anchored by securing members to the metal cover and the foam member at locations required for anchorage of the machine, and may be of a type determined by the characteristics of the machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I has a perspective view of the slab mounting a machine such as a motor, compressor, air conditioner or other article.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of a modified embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective detail view of an end part of the device.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating one form of machine support retainer.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating another form of machine support retainer.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 7-7 ofFlG. 6. 5 FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the usage of the end part illustrated in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CONSTRUCTION Referring to the drawing, which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the slab constitutes a body or block 14 of rigid high-density unicellular or closed-cell non-absorbent resin foam such as styrene foam or polyurethane foam. The body or block 14, which may be precast or formed in place, is preferably of substantially uniform thickness having flat substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces. I prefer to employ a block which is at least 1 inch thick and which may have a thickness of 5 or 6 inches. The edges of the block 14 may be perpendicular to the top and bottom faces thereof as shown, or may extend at any angle to said faces or may be of curved or other configuration.

A sheet metal sheath 16 of suitable gauge or thickness, which preferably is galvanized or painted or otherwise provided with a protective coating to resist rusting thereof, is applied over the top face of the block 14. The sheet metal may be of any selected thickness, and preferably will be of a thickness in the range from gauge to 16 gauge. The sheet metal spans the top of body 14 and preferably is formed of a blank of a size to project beyond the block 14 at opposite ends and to provide for a downturned flange 18 engaging opposite marginal edges of the body 14 and for flanges 20 inturned from flanges 18 and engaging the bottom surface of the body 14 at its margins. The flanges 18 and 20 may be formed integrally with the plate 16 as by bending the sheet metal between cutouts formed near the corners of the blank in the manner well understood in the sheet metal fabricating art.

At each end of each edge strip is provided an inturned transversely extending tongue 26. Also each end of each strip preferably has a tab parallel to flange 24. Edge strips 22 are formed of sheet metal similar to the panel 16 and are of a dimension fit in the projecting portions of sheath l6, 18, 20 at the ends thereof to protect the exposed edge of the body 14. If desired, the edge strips 22, 24 may be anchored to the cover panel 16 and selected parts 18 and 20 thereof by means of screws, soldering or spot welding.

An alternative sheath construction is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein a sheet of metal 20 is of slightly greater width than the body 14 and flanges l8 and 20 are folded from opposite ends thereof around edges and under the margin of the body 14 at opposite ends thereof. The intervening edges of the body 14 are protected by edge strips 22 formed of sheet metal and of a length equal to the length of the exposed edge of the body 14 which they are to protect. Each edge strip 22 is preferably of L-shape in cross section, having a longitudinal flange 24.

The slab maybe provided with suitable anchor means to maintain it at selected position on the ground. Such means are preferably secured to the metal sheath or cover of the body 14 at or adjacent each corner of the slab. One form of anchor means chosen for illustration constitutes a metal prong preferably formed of sheet metal of suitable gauge and preferably pointed at one end. The prong 30 extends perpendicularly from the bottom of the slab at or adjacent a flange, such as a flange 20 or 24. Each prong preferably has a C-shaped configuration at its upper end which embraces and fits around an edge portion of the slab unit. Thus each C- shaped unit may include an outturned flange 32, an upturned flange 34, and an inturned upper flange 36. The C-shaped portion of the prong or stake may have a snug or press fit with the adjacent marginal portion of the metal clad or sheathed body 14, or it may be positively secured or anchored to the metal sheath, as by securing screws as illustrated at 38 in FIG. 2, which pass through apertures in the flanges 18 and 34 and are anchored in the body 14. An alternative anchorage may be provided by welding or soldering.

Means may be provided on the slab at required positions for anchorage of the machine 12 thereto. Such means may take various forms, depending upon the character of the supporting structure of the machine.

One support is illustrated in FIG. wherein the machine 12 is provided at spaced parts thereof with screw threaded legs or support members 40, each of which has screw threaded connection with a nut 42 or other screw threaded part carried by the machine 12, so as to accommodate adjustment of the extent of protection of the leg 40 below the bottom of the machine. Each leg 40 preferably mounts a disk or other foot portion 44 for engagement with a supporting surface. A retainer 46 is mounted upon the metal panel 16 in substantially co-axial or centered relation to each machine support-or leg 44. The form of retainer illustrated is cup-shaped having a base 48 and a cylindrical portion 50 whose inner diameter is slightly greater than the dimension of the foot 44, so as to receive and retain the foot in desired position. Base 48 may be provided with an annular or circular upwardly off-set ridge-forming part 52 concentric thereof upon which the foot 44 bears and which defines a recess accommodating the head 54 of a screw or anchor member 56 which passes through a central opening in the retainer base 48 and is anchored in the sheet metal panel 16 and in the body 14.

In FIGS. 6 and 7 another machine anchoring means is illustrated which is usable in cases where the machine carries downwardly projecting supports 60 of U-shape or other configuration which provides an opening between the supporting surface and the bottom wall of the machine, at 62. Clips or brackets 64 of any suitable character may be anchored to the slab and include parts which overlie the support part 62. In the form here illustrated, the clips may constitute a rigid flat metal member 66 having one or more apertures therein through which screws or other anchoring or securing members 68 pass to extend through or penetrate the metal panel 16 and anchor in the body 14. An off-set end part 70 of the clip or bracket is positioned in engagement with the top surface of the support part 62 in the space between that part and the body of the machine 12.

In the installation and use of a machine supporting slab of this character, the slab unit is pre-assembled to provide as a unit the body 14, cover panel 16, and marginal flanges 18, 20, 22 and 24. The pre-formed assembly may include the metal prongs 30, although these prongs may be shipped as separate parts unattached to the slab and are attached by the user at the point of use.

For outdoor installation upon the ground, the user prepares the surface of the ground at which the slab is to be placed by leveling the same. In the preferred in stallation, a shallow pit of the size of the slab may be dug and then filled with a thin layer of sand or gravel or a mixture of sand and gravel whose surface is horizontal and flat. Upon the surface so prepared is then placed the preassembled slab, with the prongs 30 being driven into the earth to insure firm anchorage of the pre-assembled slab against lateral displacement.

The user then measures the spacing of the supports of the machine such as the legs 40, 44 or the supports 60, 62, and decides upon the location of the machine upon the slab. In the event the machine has supporting legs, retainers 46 of the character shown in FIG. 5 are anchored or secured to the top of the panel at proper points to receive and support the feet 44 of the machine. In the event the machine has supports of the character of 60, 62, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the machine is set upon the slab in desired location and the clips or brackets 64, 66 are then secured in place by the securing screws or means 68.

It will be seen that the installation of a machine upon this slab can be accomplished rapidly and simply with minimum requirement for tools or equipment and without requiring preforming of the slab and its support to accommodate the machine. Thus it is not necessary that the slabs be specially formed at the factory to accommodate a given machine. Each slab of standard type can be adapted to firmly anchor or support a machine of any of a number of different types by the simple expedient of anchoring thereto at the job site retainers of any of several types, such as the retainer 46 shown in FIG. 5 or the retainer 64 shown in FIG. 7.

Another advantage of the device is that it provides a firm support for a machine which can be installed temporarily and which can be removed easily and reinstalled in a new location without difficulty, and with a minimum of labor.

Thus, while this pre-assembled slab or base unit is primarily intended for use in out-of-door locations, it may also be used indoors, as in cases where a machine is to be installed at a location where a concrete floor is not of sufficient thickness to properly support the machine, or is not of a smooth surface as required for installation of a machine. In such instances the prongs 30 will not be utilized and any other means required to position the pre-assembled slab at its proper location may be utilized.

Now having fully described the invention, the embodiments of theinvention in which an exclusive property or right is claimed, are defined as follows:

1. A machine supporting slab comprising a rigid body of high density resin foam characterized by closed cells and having substantially parallel flat top and bottom surfaces, and a sheet metal sheath spanning and bearing on the top surface of said body and extending around and engaging at least opposite marginal edge portions of said body, the bottom surface of said foam body bearing upon the surface of supporting material whereby said body supports the top surface of said sheath at selected elevation above the supporting material, said machine retaining member being of cup shape having a base portion anchored by said securing means and a continuous marginal upturned substantially vertical wall for retaining a support of a machine, the base of said cup-shaped member having substan- 5 tially concentric upwardly projecting ridge adapted to support a part of a machine and defining a recess receiving a part of said securing member. 

